


Belonging

by Thrasirshall



Series: To Belong. [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Hints of child abuse, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, exploring the knight's relationship with kylo, hux will never know peace - Freeform, if you squint hard enough - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 08:14:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13430634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thrasirshall/pseuds/Thrasirshall
Summary: A short insight to the Knights of Ren - set after Crait in The Last Jedi, and what this now means for the new Supreme Leader Kylo, and General Hux.





	Belonging

“You all have a choice,” Kylo said, “And you have my word that you will be given safe passage if you decide to leave.”  

The Knights all looked at one another in silence, delegating, knowing that Kylo wasn't, and would never probe their thoughts despite that he was more than capable of doing so.  
Their mutual trust over the years together had simply been that, though often they spoke telepathically. They were a close-knit, private unit, and Kylo had no intentions of sullying the relationship of the precious few he trusted implicitly. Their worship of the Dark Side had been unfailing and open, and Kylo secretly felt he had learned so much more from them then he had Snoke - despite that the previous Supreme Leader had just as much unwavering servitude.

Kylo had been honest with them - having told them of how Snoke had truly been killed. About Rey, and his intentions. He had been lied to his whole life, and he would not do the same to those he …. Cared for.  
  
It surprised Kylo that his Knights were _not_ surprised.

 

 _You're powerful Master, of course you killed him. It is the way of the Dark Side._  
_You insult yourself with this lie of the scavenger having done so. She is not worthy of us, or you._  
_It was Snoke’s time, as will be all of ours._

Or so had been said in his mind when Kylo had brought them to what was now **his** throne room on the _Finalizer_.  
It was not as grand or imposing as Snoke’s had been - but Kylo was simple in his needs. He imagined Hux scoffing at the words ‘simple’ and ‘Kylo’ in the same sentence, amusing him briefly.

After a few minutes, the Knights then turned to Kylo, silent still. Kylo merely gauged the air, finding calm. If they left, he wouldn’t stop them. He knew they wouldn’t attack him. It wasn’t their way.

“You need not answer now.” Kylo assured, “I ask much of you all if you decide to stay.”

With that, all the Knights took to one knee without hesitation. Kylo felt pride swell in his chest, and he made sure they felt it. The Knight in front, in black robes and armour like all of them - though none would know she was female. Wearing an elongated, elegant mask with a red strip down the mouthpiece, she spoke to Kylo in their shared minds.  
The screams in her helmet were like a calm mantra.  
  
_You are the heir to Darth Vader, the grandson of the Darkness. We have no other place but by your side._

 Some of the tension left Kylo’s body, fingers sliding from under his gloves, “Thank you, my friends.”

 

There was a collective agreement on the term of _friends_.

 

Without needing to be asked, each Knight rose and went to stand around the room as if they were Snoke’s Praetorians. Then a comfortable silence fell, all in almost a meditative state. It was the rare time that Kylo would feel a sense of belonging.  
  
Dare he say, a sense of peace.

_The general is approaching, Master._

 

Kylo glanced to his right at the same Knight prior to acknowledge her with an amused smirk, “He's early.”

The doors to the throne room were force opened as Kylo felt Hux approach.

Looking paler than usual and exhausted, but with a steeled glint in his green eyes, Hux kept walking despite the heightened wariness he felt upon stepping into the room. He pretended to have not noticed the new setup, refusing to be intimidated by Kylo and his ridiculous posse.

“General.” Kylo greeted, and felt how much Hux loathed how he had to look up at him to speak.  
  
Hux had been cleaning up the embarrassment that had been Crait, the bruises on his throat peeking just a little above his collar, and the strain was showing. Normally, Kylo begrudgingly respected how the general could shield his thoughts, the man _obsessed_ with control and order, but this time - Hux was barely hanging on, almost hiding in his greatcoat.  
  
He hadn’t eaten or slept, and it was showing.

“Supreme Leader.” he said, deadpan, “You requested my presence.”  
  
“I did.” Kylo said, and stood up. He made a show of walking down each step just to make Hux’s hackles rise, but there was another reason for doing so.  
Now on equal footing, like nothing had changed, Kylo regarded Hux, standing almost uncomfortably close to him. Hux was unwavering, used to this invasion of his personal space, though Kylo had noted a very very deeply buried fear having been unearthed from the General threatening to claw its way out of his psyche. Each Knight could even feel that fear, like a tiny, hissing spitting little creature crawling all over the general, who was doing his best to ignore its occasional bites. Bruises and cracked ribs under the uniform were buried, painful memories.  
  
It would’ve been easy to break Hux down even more, but Kylo had to give him credit for his composure and competence, even when everything hung on the line.  
The man hadn’t even been afraid to stand up to _Snoke_ more than once and survived, proving his usefulness time and time again.  
  
“The cleanup on Crait has been successful?” Kylo asked, when Hux’s eyes began to narrow.  
  
“It has.” Hux replied, clipped, “We are currently in process of tracking the Millenium Falcon to give us an indication of where the Rebellion may try to rebuild.”  
  
It was short and to the point, Kylo noted. Normally, Hux would prattle off, but he couldn’t _wait_ to leave the room. He was far, far too conscious of the Knights all surrounding both of them, too many force users for Hux to fend off.  
It made Kylo curious to where Hux’s snarkiness had vanished, and found he even missed it. Where was the fun in not being challenged?  
  
Kylo merely hummed, before he moved to circle Hux, barely, _barely_ brushing shoulders, ghosting even. Hux felt it like someone had shoved him, wavering slightly in his exhaustion.  
  
“What is left of the _Supremacy_?”  
  
Hux inhaled, chest tightening. It wasn’t the loss of Snoke or the ship that bothered him, but something else. Kylo didn’t pry, not wanting to make it obvious.  
  
He had yet to hear any reports of Captain Phasma’s fate.  
  
“The _Finalizer_ is overpopulated with survivors,” Hux explained after some hesitation, “Resources however remain plentiful, but we will require another Star Destroyer soon to even the numbers.”  
  
“That won’t be a problem.” Kylo shook his head, “Set a course for the Kalee System.”  
  
Hux frowned slightly,  “Abbaji Minor?”

“The same.”  
  
It was an old, _old_ Imperial planet, but Hux considered how far the planet was, the fuel they needed to get there -  
  
“I assure you,” Kylo moved to stand in front of Hux again, black cape and robes brushing their legs, “The _previous_ Supreme Leader has more resources than was revealed to you. They are there on Abbaji. We can rebuild _much_ faster than the Rebellion.”  
  
Hux’s jaw clenched, loosened, like he was going to argue, before simply inhaling silently, “I request more time to prep our ship for the journey, Supreme Leader. Syphoning fuel from the wreckage of the _Supremacy_ will suffice.”  
  
Kylo merely nodded once, a little disappointed at Hux’s lack of fight, “Granted.”  
  
Hux bowed his head slightly, turning to leave, before Kylo lifted a hand.  
  
All the Knights watched, even if the way they stood and the way they looked directly forward told Hux otherwise.  
  
“You’re exhausted,” Kylo’s gloved fingertips touched Hux’s chin, lifting his head slightly. That made Hux freeze, green eyes going cold and hard, bracing himself, even if his face was a barely concealed sneer.  
Before, Kylo had felt nothing but contempt from the man, even if they co-commanded well together under Snoke’s watch.  
Now there was fear, and it meant that Hux was not at the full competencey that Kylo came to respect. He’d shaken Hux’s resolve a bit too much. Crait had been a mistake Kylo hoped to rectify very soon.  
  
“I need you to rest now.” Kylo dropped his hand, “We’ve much to do.”  
  
Hux’s head slowly lowered from where Kylo had lifted it, giving Kylo a studious, almost curious look, before he simply nodded once, eyes downcast.  
  
“As you wish.” Hux said, and Kylo ignored the lack of title at the end.  
  
“It’s an order, General.” Kylo affirmed, and moved to climb the short stairs to his throne. Hux waited until Kylo was seated, more out of slight confusion than anything else, before he merely turned to leave.  
  
Hux walked up to the doors - but they didn’t open, and he stood there - stiff backed and suddenly cautious. A threatening air coursed through the Knights, but none of them so much as flinched.  
  
_You see why I keep him around. He would fight us even if he knows he would lose terribly._  
  
There was mutual agreement amongst the Knights at Kylo’s telepathic statement. Hux's loyalty to the Order was on par of the Knight's to the Dark Side.   
  
Hux then looked over his shoulder at Kylo, hands sliding from his back to rest at his sides, gloves creaking a little as his fingers stretched out.  
  
Kylo knew about the sharp little knife under Hux’s sleeve.  
  
“Get at least eight hours of sleep.” Kylo instructed, before he lifted a hand.  
  
The doors silently slid open, and Hux’s eyes glanced at their movement, before he simply walked through, not even waiting for enough space to pass without brushing the steel.

**Author's Note:**

> I've glossed over the Wookipedia page of the Knights of Ren, and proceeded to give my own take on them. I openly admit to not having read the books about them, and even then, it seems they're still a bit of a mystery. This is merely my take on it, so it may likely be incorrect in the future. 
> 
> As far as I could surmise - they are servants of the Dark Side, and are worshippers of Vader, so Kylo, to them, was far more important than Snoke likely might have been.  
> (Plus I like the idea of the Knights scaring the everliving shit out of Hux.) 
> 
>  
> 
> We'll see in Episode IX, if they'll hopefully be in that.


End file.
